Control

# Control Performance Analysis: Intel Core i5-10400F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti

The combination of the Intel Core i5-10400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti delivers a robust Control experience across all tested resolutions, with the data revealing a system that scales predictably from 1080p to 4K. At 1920x1080, the pair achieves 168 FPS on Low settings, dropping to 94.5 FPS on Ultra — a spread that suggests the CPU maintains a strong foothold while the GPU takes on increasing load. Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates compress to a range of 69 FPS (Ultra) to 125.8 FPS (Low), and at 3840x2160, the top end falls to 84.3 FPS on Low with Ultra settling at 45.8 FPS. This progression indicates a balanced pairing where neither component becomes a hard bottleneck at common settings, though the highest resolution and preset combination clearly stresses the GPU.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear and consistent resolution scaling pattern. From 1080p Low (168 FPS) to 1440p Low (125.8 FPS), the drop is approximately 25%, and moving from 1440p Low to 4K Low (84.3 FPS) yields another 33% reduction. For High settings, the sequence runs 104 FPS at 1080p, 82.1 FPS at 1440p, and 53.4 FPS at 4K — a steeper relative decline that points to the GPU becoming the primary limiter as pixel count rises. The Ultra preset tells a similar story: 94.5 FPS at 1080p, 69 FPS at 1440p, and 45.8 FPS at 4K, with the 4K figure falling below the 60 FPS threshold that many players consider smooth.

The scaling behavior suggests that at 1080p, the system has headroom — the CPU with its 6 cores and 12 threads can feed frames quickly, and the RTX 3070 Ti is not yet saturated. At 4K, however, the GPU's 8 GB of GDDR6X memory and 608.3 GB/s bandwidth are likely being taxed heavily, especially with High and Ultra settings that increase texture and shading complexity. The fact that Low at 4K still reaches 84.3 FPS indicates the GPU can handle the geometry, but the settings-driven effects in Control — such as volumetric lighting and particle systems — are what push the 4K Ultra result down to 45.8 FPS. This is a classic case where resolution scaling amplifies the GPU's role, with the CPU's 4.30 GHz boost clock proving sufficient to keep up even at lower resolutions where frame rates exceed 150 FPS.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-10400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Comet Lake architecture, built on Intel's 14 nm process. Its base clock of 2.90 GHz and boost clock of 4.30 GHz are modest by modern standards, yet the benchmark data shows it performs well in this game. The CPU's 3DMark scores — 688 single-thread, 4748 for 16 threads — indicate solid per-core performance that matters for gaming workloads, which often rely on a few heavily utilized threads. The Cinebench R23 results (1453 single-core, 10297 multi-core) reinforce this, with the single-core figure being particularly relevant for Control's frame pacing.

In the context of Control, the CPU's role appears supportive rather than dominant. At 1080p Low, the 168 FPS average suggests the i5-10400F can feed the GPU well beyond typical display refresh rates. The 12 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support (42.7 GB/s bandwidth) provide adequate data throughput for the game's physics and AI systems. The CPU's 73rd percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 14168, places it slightly behind rivals like the Intel Core i5-8500 (14332, deltaPct -1.1%) and AMD Ryzen 3 7320C (14277, deltaPct -0.8%), but these differences are marginal in real-world gaming. The data implies that while the i5-10400F is not a top-tier processor, it does not constrain the RTX 3070 Ti in this title, as evidenced by the strong 1080p and 1440p results.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti is the clear performance driver in this pairing. Built on the Ampere architecture with an 8 nm Samsung process, it packs 6144 shading units, 192 TMUs, and 96 ROPs, along with 48 RT cores and 192 tensor cores. Its 8 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus delivers 608.3 GB/s bandwidth, which is crucial for Control's high-resolution textures and real-time ray tracing effects. The GPU's boost clock of 1770 MHz and base clock of 1575 MHz are modest, but the raw compute — 21.75 TFLOPS FP32 — gives it substantial headroom.

The benchmark data shows the GPU's dominance scaling with resolution. At 4K, the difference between Low (84.3 FPS) and Ultra (45.8 FPS) is a 46% reduction, directly attributable to the GPU's workload. The 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 3478 and PassMark G3D score of 23356 place it in the 74th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 30849. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 6700 (31112, deltaPct -0.8%) and AMD Radeon RX 590 GME (30755, deltaPct 0.3%), showing it sits in a competitive mid-to-high tier. The GPU's 290 W TDP and 600 W suggested PSU indicate it draws significant power, but the performance payoff is clear in the measured FPS. For Control specifically, the GPU's 8 GB VRAM is likely the limiting factor at 4K Ultra, as modern games with high-resolution textures can exceed this capacity, causing potential stutters or reduced frame pacing.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal settings balance depends on the target resolution and desired smoothness. At 1920x1080, the High preset at 104 FPS offers an excellent experience, well above the 60 FPS threshold, while Ultra at 94.5 FPS provides only a modest visual uplift for a 9% performance cost. The Medium preset at 119.4 FPS is also viable for players prioritizing higher refresh rates, but Low at 168 FPS sacrifices too much visual fidelity for the average user.

For 2560x1440, High at 82.1 FPS is the sweet spot — it clears 60 FPS with room to spare, and the jump to Ultra at 69 FPS is playable but closer to the limit. Medium at 92.1 FPS is a strong alternative for those wanting smoother motion, while Low at 125.8 FPS is only for competitive play where every frame counts. At 3840x2160, the situation tightens: High at 53.4 FPS is borderline, and Ultra at 45.8 FPS will feel sluggish. Medium at 63.7 FPS is the best balance for 4K, as it stays above 60 FPS while retaining more visual detail than Low (84.3 FPS). The data suggests that for most players, High at 1080p or 1440p, and Medium at 4K, provides the best experience per the measured rows.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Control?

A: The data shows 2560x1440 with High settings at 82.1 FPS as the strongest balance of visual quality and smoothness, as it stays well above the 60 FPS mark while offering better clarity than 1080p.

Q: Can this system handle 4K Ultra in Control?

A: No, the measured 45.8 FPS at 4K Ultra is below the 60 FPS threshold, indicating the GPU is the limiting factor. Dropping to Medium at 4K yields 63.7 FPS, which is playable.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The i5-10400F has an average benchmark score of 14168, which is within 1.2% of the AMD Ryzen Embedded V2546 (14336) and 1.1% below the Intel Core i5-8500 (14332), showing near-parity in overall CPU performance.

Q: Is the RTX 3070 Ti's 8 GB VRAM sufficient for Control?

A: The data shows playable frame rates at all settings, but the steep drop from 4K Medium (63.7 FPS) to 4K Ultra (45.8 FPS) suggests the VRAM or memory bandwidth is being pushed hard at the highest preset.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p?

A: The measured FPS goes from 168 at Low to 94.5 at Ultra, a 43.8% reduction, which is a significant visual-to-performance trade-off in favor of lower settings for high refresh rate displays.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested systems for Control?

A: It ranks 621st out of 1636 tested combos, placing it in the top 38% of systems, which is a solid mid-to-upper tier position for this game.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the four presets deliver: Low at 168 FPS, Medium at 119.4 FPS, High at 104 FPS, and Ultra at 94.5 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra shows a 73.5 FPS drop, with the largest single-step decline occurring from Low to Medium (48.6 FPS). This suggests that Medium settings introduce significant visual effects that cost performance, while the jump from High to Ultra (9.5 FPS) is relatively minor.

At 2560x1440, the results are: Low at 125.8 FPS, Medium at 92.1 FPS, High at 82.1 FPS, and Ultra at 69 FPS. The Low-to-Medium drop (33.7 FPS) is again the largest, but the High-to-Ultra gap (13.1 FPS) is slightly larger than at 1080p, indicating that the GPU is becoming more of a factor at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the numbers are: Low at 84.3 FPS, Medium at 63.7 FPS, High at 53.4 FPS, and Ultra at 45.8 FPS. The Low-to-Medium drop (20.6 FPS) remains the biggest, but the High-to-Ultra gap (7.6 FPS) is the smallest of any resolution, showing that at 4K, the GPU's limits are reached with the higher presets. The overall pattern — with the Low-to-Medium transition always being the largest performance hit — indicates that Medium settings in Control enable costly effects that disproportionately impact frame rates.

How This Combo Ranks

The comboRankInGame data places this pairing at 621st out of 1636 tested combinations, which puts it in the 62nd percentile of all systems tested for Control. This ranking reflects a balanced configuration that is neither entry-level nor top-tier. The CPU's 73rd percentile among all CPUs and the GPU's 74th percentile among all GPUs suggest a well-matched pair, where the i5-10400F does not significantly bottleneck the RTX 3070 Ti.

The ranking implies that many other tested combos — likely those with higher-end CPUs like the Core i5-8500 (which scores 14332 vs. 14168) or stronger GPUs — achieve better frame rates in Control. However, the 621st position out of 1636 indicates that this system outperforms roughly 62% of all tested hardware configurations, making it a competent mid-range choice for this title. The gap to the top is driven primarily by the GPU's 8 GB VRAM and the CPU's 6-core configuration, which limit extreme 4K performance but still deliver smooth 1080p and 1440p gameplay. For players targeting 60+ FPS at high settings, this combo hits the mark at 1080p and 1440p, and only requires a settings reduction to Medium for 4K playability.